Muramasa: The Demon BladeReview

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Vanillaware's 2D epic emerges on Wii. Is this Action RPG more than just a flashy style?

By Mark Bozon

Muramasa: The Demon Blade is one of those games that is instantly captivating. Being a fan of Vanillaware and the company's rich history I remember seeing first glimpses of Demon Blade out of TGS, instantly recognized the game as being one of Vanillaware's own, and stubbornly demanded that I get to review the game ever since. Here we are on the cusp of the title's release – complete with a Nintendo World Store weekend launch in NYC; not common for third party games – and Muramasa is still entertaining me after dozens and dozens of hours of play. The real question on everyone's mind though – just like it was for me, until I got plenty of time to dive on in – is whether or not Muramasa was all eye candy, or a true classic in 2D gaming.

Truthfully I'd put it somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. First off, Muramasa's visual presentation is simply breathtaking, and it's hands-down one of the most artistically beautiful games this generation on any console. It's a visual masterpiece through and through; no hyperbole. The amount of "wow" moments in this game seems to go on forever, and they hit you at perfectly placed intervals. True, you'll see repeats of enemies and environments – even a few re-skinning, color-tweaking tricks – but considering the sheer amount of animation and care that went into this game it's understandable. For the first time in my four years as a game critic I can truly say there isn't a single screen, single animation, or single character that isn't truly stunning. Some areas more than others, but all-in all this game is a true work of art in interactive form; all arguments over "gaming as an art form" should be pushed right on over to titles like Muramasa.

Demon Blade is simply beautiful, and undeniably fun.

We've gone over the story and core design of Demon Blade time and time again, but if this is your first time seeing it for some reason it's pretty simple, and a good refresher for those adamantly following the game as well. You'll find RPG elements in Muramasa, but more than anything else this is a purebred action game. The story is broken up into two characters, including the ninja princess Momohime and amnesia-stricken warrior Kisuke. The game follows the classic Kabuki style, mixing drama and dance (in this case rhythmic , flowing swordplay) as its main forms of storytelling. The music is captivating, often growing and progressing as you run from screen to screen, and the visual style… well… it speaks for itself.

Demon Blade's core design really centers on a formula that has been perfected by games like Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. At the start of the game your world scope is small, but as you progress areas become opened, alternate routes interrupt the main story experience, and the world becomes your playground. As one downside though, there's less variation here than what you'd find in other games of its kind; specifically in level design and general world traversal. For both characters the experience is different, as are some of the enemies, order in which you traverse world areas, and the like. What stays the same, however, is the one overarching concept of blades as keys. There are eight main blades in the game, each with a different color. Find a boss, kill a boss, collect his blade, and use it to open new barriers that would otherwise stand in your way. Remove all the visual polish and entertaining battles and that's your core game. Blades = keys. Even the core level design is often nothing more than an exit in the upper or lower corners of the screen, and a few optional high ground areas to explore; no grand castle traversing or cramped forgotten labyrinths to navigate – just straight-on action from screen to screen.

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Of course the experience goes deeper than that, offering not only main routes to open but also specific enemy rooms with insane challenges that reward players with new gear. One such room has players fighting 100 – yes, for real – ninjas as they spawn out eight to 10 at a time. Kill them all, and a new accessory is awarded. There's also the occasional quick-travel scenario for traversing the map at a faster speed, as well as the classic visual piece of Momohime on a boat fighting a giant octopus (it's part of a random occurrence during the fishing/travel mini-game). These sections help for fast travel and certainly break up the monotony, but there aren't many of them. Once you've ridden the boat, been carried from land to land by the muscle-clad team of hitchhikers, and spent a few minutes in a hot spring with monkeys, bested foes, and the other main story character as a cameo, you've seen most of what's there.